Electric-railway system



'(No Model.) 2 Shets--Sheet 1.

D. G. WEEMS.

ELECTRIC RAILWAY SYSTEM.

Patented J 11.22, 1889.

, UR n INVENTOH,

WITNESSES:

ATTORNEYJ,

Nv PETERS. Phnlalithogvaphwr. wauunmeu. D. C4

(No Model.)' 2' Sheet-Sheet 2.

D. G. WEEMS.

ELECTRIC RAILWAY SYSTEM.

No. 396,638. Patented-Jan. 22, 1889.

WITNESSES: llVl/E/VTOI? ATTORNEY/4- UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

DAVID G. \VEEMS, OF BALTIMORE, B'IARYIQAND, ASSIGNOR TO THE ELEUIRO- AlT'lTOlllA'llO TIRANSIT OBIPANY OF BALTIMORE, MARYLAND.

ELECTRIC- RAl LWAY SYSTEM.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 396,633, dated January 2.2, 1889.

Application filed June 14, 1388. Serial No. 277,062. (No model.)

To all 2071mm it may concern.- No 276,121, liledby IneJune 5, 1888, on which. Ele it known that L'DAVIID G. \VEEMs, a systemsthe present invention. is an improveeitizen of the United States, residing at Balment; and myinvention consists in the contimore city, State of Maryland, have invented struetions and combinations of devices which certain new and useful Improvements in I shall hereinafter fully describe and claim. 5 Electric-Railway Systems, of which the fol- To enable others skilled in the art to make lowing a full and clear description, refcrand use my invention, I will now describe the once being had to the accompanying drawsame and indicate the manner in which I ings, forming part of this specification, in carrythc same out.

TO which-- In the said drawings, A A represent upper Figure 1 represents a side elevation showelectricallycharged guide rails g; B B, the ing the upper and lower rails, and a car dilower bearing-rails; G, the car, and D D the vided into compartments having pointed front guide-wheels for conveying the current from and rear ends, said car having means for prothe upper rails to the motor.

pelling the ear in opposite directions. Fig. 2 In my former constructions I employed but 6 5 isatransverse sectional viewof said car, showa single upper rail and single guide-wheels ing a plural number of upper current-conand conveyed the electric current from said ducting rails, the guide-wheels, thelower bcarrail through the forward guide-wheel to the ing wheels and rails, and a frame-work or motor on the front car or locomotive, and

2o casing in which the rails are mounted. Fig. thence transmitted the current to the lower 3 illustrates a car similar to the one shown in rail and back to the stationary dynamo at the Fig. 1, but adapted to travel in one direction end of the line; but in the present case I omonly. Fig. lis an end view showing the upploy a plural number of guide-rails and a per guide-rails located iiear the outer sides plural number of guide-wheels, whereby I am 2 5 of. the car. Fig. 5 is a side elevation of the permit-ted to use the upper rails as the means 75 front portion of the car, showing the doors by for receiving and returning the current, using which access may be had to the interior of the lower rails simply as the b(t1ll]g-lf-lllSI01 the car, and showing also brake mechanism the car. for checking the speed of the train. Fig. 6 The rails A A will be suitably secured in 0 is a plan view with the brake mechanism rea framework or tunnel, E, such as shown in So moved. Fig. 7 is a detail illustrating one of Figs. 2 and 4:, one of said rails being adapted the lnmsings and a means For adjusting the to convey the outgoing current, while the some vertically. l igtiisa detail illustrating other rail returns the current after it has one of the housings with its levers and conpassed through the motor, and said rails may iaetpoinls, and also slunving the adjustable be located contiguous to each other, as shown stops. in Fig. 2, or may be separated from each other,

My presentinvenlion relates lo ecrlain adas shown. in Fig. i. In either case they will dilional improvements in cleetric-railwaysysbe preferably placed within a housing, l and tems for transporting mail and express paclcproperly insulated therefrom.

ages, &e., at a high r'ati-e ol speed over a line The guide-wheels D will. be lllOlllllJGtl. on a 90 of elevated, surface, or underground tracks shaft, a, in the upper portions of the car, and or rails, using as a motive power electricity, they will be placed at such points on the shaft and having the motor or motors located at one a as will. permit them to snugly fit the tracks, or both ends of the traimthe said train ljieing the said shaft or shafts beii'ig insulatmjl, as

sl'lp iilied with means for etmtrolling, starting, shown in Figs. 9 and 4t. 95 and stopping itself. In. my former patent the train when. made The object of my invention. is to improve up consisted of alocomotive having a motor the systems described and claimed in my and a series of cars connected therewith; but former patent, No. 376,567, granted to me in. the present case the carrier consists of the January 17, 1888, and the application, Serial single car out suitable length, having its loo front and rear end pointed or wedge-shaped, and having doors I) in its sides, whereby access may readily be had to the interior of the car, and. said car may be provided with any well-known form of brake mechanism, such as shown in Fig. 5, and illustrated, described, and claimed in an application filed by me June 5, 1888, Serial No. 276,124.

The carC is divided into any desired number of compartments by means of the internally-placed partitions (Z, and in these compartments the motor or motors, mail and express packages, &c., may be placed, each compartment having one or more of the doors I) leading to it, as shown in Figs. 1 and 3.

By reason of the double-pointed car and the plural number of upper rails an d guide-wh eels I may locate a motor at both ends of the car, if desired, and may use in connection therewith the systeniot levers and adjustable stops which are set forth in my said ap 'ilication of Juliet), 1888; but when said levers or stops are employed it will be advisable to secure the housing in which the lovers are mounted, so that they may be moved into an inoperative position when desired.

In Fig. l I have shown amotor, M, in the compartment at each end of the car, and l have also illustrated the housings N N, with their levers g g and h h, which are tripped by the stops 6 on the road, as previously stated.

N ow, it will be observed that when the train is travelii'ig in the direction of the arrow the housing and levers N and g g are in position where they may strike the adjusted stop 6, and the housingN and levers 7th are moved down, so that they will not be affected by the stops, the adjusting of said housing-being accomplished by any well-known means, such as by the pivoted lever 2, (see Fig. 7,) which is connected at one end with the housing and at the other end wit-l1 a rod, 3, which, when operated, moves the housing into or out of line with the stops 6. When the end of the line has been reached, the housing N and its levers are lowered, the housing and levers at the opposite end of the car raised, and the current turned on and the train started on its return-trip.

By employing the double-pointed car with a motor in each end I am enabled to dispense with switches, turn-tables, and like devices for preparing the car for the return-trip. The housings N N, like those in my said former application, are connected with the electrically-charged rail by a wire, as shown in Fig. 8, and they are mounted in suitable ways or guides, whereby they may have a free movement when operated by the rod 3. (Shown in Fig. '7.) Between the sides of the housing and. mounted upon a pin or bolt, 5, is a lever, g, the lower end of which carries a contact-point,

I, while the upper portion, which is struck bythe stops 0, beveled, the said. lever being also attached to a second lever, 1/, upon the pin or bolt 6 by means of a chain or connection, as shown in Fig. 1.4-, and as shown, de-

scribed, and claimed in my said former apv plication. The housings are also provided with insulated contact-points N O I", from which wires lead to the main wire which transmits the current to the motors. The stops c in the present case will also be vertically adjustable, and they will be arranged to trip the levers in the manner set forth in my said former application.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

In an elcctric-railway system fol-transporting mail and packages, the combination, with upper and lower rails and stops on the line of road, of an eleetrioally-operated ear, means for conveying the current thereto, and ad j ustable housings on the car having levers, which are actuated by the stops, substaiuiially as and for the purpose described.

DAVID G. WEEMS.

it/messes:

WM. M. Pnenmn, .15. J. DASHIEL, Jr. 

